What an absurd Nimitz-class scenario says about stability

Could a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier surf down a mountain?

Only as a destructive one-way joke; obstacles could roll or wreck the hull, although the class itself has a low centre of gravity rather than being top-heavy.

Sliding a Nimitz-class carrier down a snowy mountain would be a one-way stunt rather than a plausible use of a ship. Irregular terrain or a rock could roll or destroy the hull, and embarked aircraft would have to be removed. The useful engineering point is that the carrier is not simply top-heavy: its mass distribution gives it a low centre of gravity and a well-balanced hull. The joke therefore illustrates why a warship's visible island and flight deck do not by themselves reveal its stability.